Highlights: April 2018

Spring is basically here in the Star of the North (barring any last moment snowstorms. Fingers crossed)! Both of us really love spring, as it lets us open our windows, get outside, and experience rain, flowers, and the outdoors. So with the turning of the season, here are the books we are looking forward to in April!

Serena’s Picks

Book: “Stormcaster” by Cinda Williams Chima

Publication Date: April 3rd, 2018

Why I’m Interested: While I still haven’t fallen in love with the “Shattered Realms” series in quite the same way I did with the first series (“Seven Realms”), it has had an upwards trajectory. I quite liked “Shadowcaster” overall and had a terrible time with that cliffhanger-esque ending! I do have concerns though. In my review of the last book, I touched on the fact that there have now been upwards of 5-6 POV narrators, and from the looks of this book, we’ll be getting even more! I mean, there’s a reason I stopped reading “Game of Throne.” Most stories simply can’t support that number of protagonists and the simple fact is, not all characters are created equal, and less strong POVs then actively undermine a story where readers are desperate to get back to their favorites. But, concerns aside, there’s no doubt I’ll be picking this one up as soon as possible!

Book: “The Diminished” by Kaitlyn Sage Patterson

Publication Date: April 10th, 2018

Why I’m Interested: For one thing, I really like that cover. I will ALWAYS prefer covers that don’t have models, but this one really takes good advantage of a solid font choice and simple colors. Well done! The premise sounds kind of familiar: a world where everyone is born as twins. Rare single children are destined to rule. People whose twin dies are “diminished.” But I feel like the other examples I’ve come across were vaguely sci-fi/dystopia, where as this is a solid other world fantasy, featuring two protagonists: Bo, a born single destined to rule and Vi, a “diminished” with few prospects before her. Sounds intriguing!

Book: “Sky in the Deep”

Publication Date: April 24th, 2018

Why I’m Interested: Look, I live in Minnsota. Vikings are kind of our thing. So when I saw this cover and realized it was a YA Vikings story featuring a badass warrior heroine? I was there. What’s more there looks to be some good sibling drama, another favorite topic of mine, when our main character Eelyn discovers her thought-to-be-dead brother fighting against on the side of her clan’s mortal enemies. This one looks action-packed and full of high stakes, both physically and emotionally. Plus, like I said, Vikings. I love me some fairytales and dark fantasy books, but it will be a breath of fresh air to read a story like this!

Kate’s Picks

Book: “Dread Nation” by Justina Ireland

Publication Date: April 3rd, 2018

Why I’m Interested: Uhhhh, ZOMBIES FOR ONE!!! I do love a good zombie story, after all. But along with that, Justina Ireland has taken a historical time period we see a lot (the Civil War), a protagonist that we don’t see as much during that time period (an African American teenage girl), and an alternate history twist to make a super fascinating book description. Jane was born during the Civil War, two days before the dead began to walk and changed America. Black and Native children are trained and used to fight the zombie hordes, and Jane is training to become a warrior against the zombies. But zombies aren’t the only things to be wary of, as Jane soon finds herself in a very human conspiracy. THIS is at the top of my anticipation list to be sure!!

Book: “All the Beautiful Lies” by Peter Swanson

Publication Date: April 3rd, 2018

Why I’m Interested: Swanson’s previous two books (“The Kind Worth Killing” and “Her Every Fear”) were both home runs for me when it came to thriller novels, so of course I wanted to read his next offering. This one kind of has a salacious squick factor, as it involves a man who returns home for his father’s funeral only to mayhaps get tangled up in a dangerous relationship with his stepmother. So while that is definitely yucky, it makes for a creepy and unsettling plot for a thriller novel, so therefore BRING IT ON! Given that Swanson has really impressed me this far, I’m really hoping that this will be the next in a series of being stellar fiction from this mystery author!

Book: “DC Bombshells (Vol.6): War Stories”

Publication Date: April 3rd, 2018

Why I’m Interested: NOOOOOOO, BOMBSHELLS IS OVER!!!!!! I had no idea until I delved into this description! This is hands down my favorite DC Series, and it has come to an end!!!!???? Apparently even the new series that was supposed to come after it got cancelled prematurely, so FUCK YOU, DC, GOD DAMMIT YOU MAKE IT SO HARD TO ROOT FOR YOU!!!! So in this final collection, I have to start to say goodbye to my girls and their wonderful, well plotted and well told alternate timeline stories!!! I DON’T WANT TO SAY GOODBYE!!!! But knowing that I must, I, of course, need to see how it all ends for all my favorite ladies. Will they defeat the Nazis? Will the Batgirls be able to hold down the home front? Harley and Ivy get their happily ever after? Will we see Batgirl and the Suicide Squad again????? So many questions, and I can’t wait for some answers. So we start the beginning of the end with “War Stories.”

What are some books you are looking forward to that are coming out this month? Let us know in the comments!